Towers: Top prospect Bradley won't get callup in '13

DENVER -- D-backs general manager Kevin Towers confirmed Friday that the team will not promote right-handed pitcher Archie Bradley to make a start during the final nine days of the season.

Bradley, the top-rated prospect in the Arizona organization according to MLB.com, was outstanding at two levels this past season.

The 21-year-old started the year with Class A Visalia, and after compiling a 1.26 ERA in five starts, he was promoted to Double-A Mobile.

In 21 games for the BayBears, Bradley was 12-5 with a 1.97 ERA and helped pitch Mobile into the Southern League Championship Series.

Drafted out of high school with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, Bradley does not have to be added to the 40-man roster this year. However, if the team brought him to the big leagues, he would need to be added immediately.

"To add him to the roster in the winter when roster spots are very valuable to us -- and the team being pretty much out of contention -- didn't make a lot of sense," Towers said.

Bradley showed better command this year, cutting down his walks from 84 in 136 innings last year to 69 in 152 innings this year.

"I think he still, based on what I saw and our scouts, he needs to use his secondary pitchers a little bit more," Towers said. "Really refine the curveball and the changeup."

While Bradley was able to dominate with his fastball in the Minors, Towers said he'll need to be able to use his secondary pitches to get big league hitters out.

The team plans to make Bradley a non-roster invitee to big league camp next spring and allow him to compete for a spot in the Opening Day rotation.

"I think he deserves it," Towers said.

Gibson likely to test rookie Owings at second

DENVER -- Over the last nine games of the season, D-backs manager Kirk Gibson will likely give rookie Chris Owings some playing time at second base.

Owings, ranked by MLB.com as the organization's third-best prospect, has primarily played shortstop during his Minor League career, though he did see 11 games at second in Triple-A this year.

"I've been taking ground balls over there," Owings said. "Whenever he decides to play me over there, I'll be ready."

The team could look to expand Owings' skillset given the presence of fellow rookie shortstop Didi Gregorius. When it looked like both were going to spend a significant portion of the season in the Minor Leagues together, the team had planned on rotating them between shortstop and second base.

As it turned out, Gregorius and Owings played together only for two weeks before Gregorius was promoted in April.

Owings, who was drafted by the D-backs out of high school in 2009, came into Friday's game hitting .250 in 28 at-bats since being called up earlier this month.

At one point, the D-backs talked about possibly getting Owings some reps at third base in the Minor Leagues, but that did not come to pass.

"I played third in high school my first year," Owings said. "That was about it. It's different. You have to get used to it. It's a whole other game. It's pretty much instincts over there. It would be a new avenue, but I think I'd be all right over there. I think I could play anywhere on the field."

Towers weighs in on Dodgers' celebration

DENVER -- One day later, the bad feelings from the Dodgers' decision to take a celebratory dip in the Chase Field pool after they clinched the National League West title Thursday have not diminished.

"It wasn't their entire team, but it's one thing to go out and celebrate on the field and then take it back to the clubhouse and being professional about it," D-backs GM Kevin Towers said. "We won't forget it."

The D-backs are aware that they enabled the Dodgers' celebration by letting a lead get away in the ballgame. Had the D-backs beaten the Dodgers, their celebration would have had to wait.

"We allowed it to happen," Towers said. "We could have prevented a lot of what went on there, but by losing the ballgame, we gave them every opportunity to do some of the things they did. I think it was probably taken a little too far."

D-backs manager Kirk Gibson straddled the line between criticizing the Dodgers and holding his own team responsible for not winning the game.

"I didn't like it, but at the same time, we could have prevented them from doing it," Gibson said. "I don't think I can tell them what they should or should not do, but whether I like it or not is a different thing."